Tier 1 – Clarity & Direction
Planning Only
For clients who want clarity and direction without ongoing management. A one-time, project-based engagement with no asset minimums, no obligation to continue, and no products sold.
Lifestyle clarity is key
We create retirement plans for living,
not just cash flow.
The Sovran helps retirees and pre-retirees align their wealth with the life they actually want — before time makes the decision for them.
Who we work for
We specialize in pre- and post-retirement clients.
Most of our clients fall into one of three groups. Find yours below — or tell us where you are and we’ll be honest about whether we’re a fit.
Within sight of the finish
Pre-Retirees
1–10 years out. Those who believe in preparation and want to proactively clarify their lifestyle goals, determining what’s achievable and whether changes need to happen now.
Just off the clock
New Retirees
Crossing the finish line now and ready to get serious about defining their lifestyle vision, setting realistic goals for living, and funding it — cash flow, taxes, estate planning, real estate, new ventures, second careers, travel. Ready to plan well and hit the ground running into their new lifestyle.
Tired of the pitch
Seasoned Retirees
Already retired, but something’s off. Not feeling it. Transitioned and retired a few years back, with doubts about the planning and advisors chosen to help. Many Retiree families feel the value of their relationships sour once the transition is over. If you would like to discuss your situation, please Schedule a Conversation with us to discuss. Nearly all of our clients had a different advisor before us.
How we work · three ways
Three ways to work with us.
No pushing.
Three distinct service tiers. We don’t push you toward the highest. Sometimes “no fit” is the right answer — and we’ll tell you so.
Tier 2 – Long-term Partnership
Lifestyle Wealth Management3
Comprehensive, end-to-end. A trifecta of three integrated dimensions: the 7SHieLD™ discovery, the financial plan, and ongoing management—built around the life you actually want. Includes Tier 1.
Tier 3 – When we’re not the fit
The Sauce
Right-Fit Advisor Matchmaking Referral Service. An educational, consultative service offered when The Sovran isn’t the right fit. Drawn from Finding the Right Fit Financial Advisor For Retirement—the founder’s book—and the 20+ professional criteria it lays out.
Not sure where you fit?
That’s exactly what a 30-minute conversation is for.
Why we’re different
Deliberate design founded on client feedback
Each of the things that set us apart is a deliberate choice – how we charge, what tools we use, and which specialists we lean on to round out your plan. We’ve built our firm around what clients actually want: better technology, real access to the planning tools we use, and fair, transparent fees.
Differentiator #1: Our Unique Client Lifestyle Discovery Process
Your past is a work of art. Your future… needs a vision.
Welcome to the Island! You are surrounded by choices, uncertainty, and an ocean of worry about what you will do with yourself once you retire.
This is your opportunity to take a healthy time-out in your journey — to become more aware of your predicament, deepen your perspective, re-evaluate what you value and what’s important to your life, find your purpose, learn a few new skills, and be more articulate and definitive with your new goals to make your future life a fulfilling masterpiece.
Hosted by our goodwill campaign, Good Luck Island Collective — a safe space for you to learn and grow with a curated process of self-discovery. The members are called Islanders — people just like you, seeking answers to what life will be like and what needs to be considered and planned for to optimize the journey ahead. A place to share knowledge and experience without identifying yourself, for the collective good. There are no traps, tricks, or solicitation of financial planning by us or any of our sponsors or affiliates. Your profile that others see is completely anonymous.
Start your journey today!
Click to join us on the island. It’s free!
Differentiator #2: Top Planning Software For Financial Planning Professionals
eMoney
We partnered with eMoney to deliver the highest level of planning with the top planning software for professional advisors.
- Account aggregation with real-time analysis — view your accounts and vital information where they currently are, with aggregation and real-time analysis tools shared with your advisor. No more need to bring in statements.
- Dedicated Client Portal — access and discuss your plan in real time. We connect all of your outside accounts on one platform, then build a plan that has everything included.
- Encrypted Client Vault — save copies of important info (contracts, insurance policies, trust docs). It replaces the old fire-safe box in your home.
- Access for life — even for our planning-only engagements. You keep the planning tool for life. It’s your plan.
Have a focused planning question but aren’t ready to bring on a full-time advisor? Use our free quick-planning tool to pick a goal — retirement, education, a major purchase — see whether you’re on track, and explore how small contribution changes could move the needle. If the question turns out to be more complex, you can request a consultation right from the tool.
Differentiator #3: Estate planning made easier
Streamlined Estate Planning with Trust & Will
We partner with Trust & Will, a leading online estate-planning platform, to help you secure your legacy quickly, affordably, and securely. Built by legal experts, the platform lets you create state-specific, legally valid wills or trusts in as little as 30 minutes — so your assets are protected and your loved ones are cared for, without the stress or high cost of traditional estate planning.
- Customized estate plans — choose a comprehensive Trust Plan to avoid probate and keep your affairs private, or a foundational Will Plan to name guardians and set out how your assets are distributed.
- Legally valid & state-specific — every document is built by attorneys and tailored to comply with your state’s laws.
- Bank-level security — your sensitive personal and financial information is protected with top-tier encryption.
- Built to evolve — make seamless, unlimited updates to your plan as your life, family, and finances change over time.
- Efficient & accessible — complete your entire plan online in minutes, with clear step-by-step guidance and optional access to attorney support.
Differentiator #4: Transparent fee cap
We don’t hitch our wagon to your wealth.
At The Sovran, our success is not dependent on how large your accounts become, but on the quality of planning, guidance, and stewardship we provide.
The Fee Cap Program is designed to limit the maximum annual advisory fee charged to qualifying Custom Wealth Management clients, providing transparency and predictability as assets grow.
Fee Calculator
Assets Under Management (AUM)
$2,500,000
$25,000/yr
Grows as your wealth grows.
The Sovran · capped
$15,000/yr
—
Fee examples are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent actual client outcomes. Fee caps apply only to qualifying Custom Wealth Management relationships and do not guarantee lower fees than all other arrangements. Fees may vary based on service complexity and the scope of the engagement. The full ADV-aligned program disclosure is available upon request and in our Form ADV.
“Charge what you need to be successful, not what you think you can get.”
Differentiator #5: 401(k) pro management
Future Capital
Do you have trouble understanding the investments and choices available in your 401(k)? The Sovran is proud to Partner with Future Capital to help our clients manage the investment options offered in their employer’s 401(k), 403(b), and other workplace retirement platforms. Enhance your efforts to save through your workforce retirement plan with the Fiduciaries at Future Capital.
Schedule a consultation with us to learn more.
- Holistic planning — understand your workplace retirement account and make informed decisions that fit with your overall financial plan.
- Customized strategies — a 401(k) portfolio tailored to your specific circumstances, objectives, and investment strategy.
- Unlimited support — anytime you need answers or support for your 401(k), a Future Capital Retirement Consultant is ready to help.
About Us
About our Practice
The Sovran, LLC.
The Sovran Lifestyle Wealth Management was created to fix what simply wasn’t working in retirement planning conversations worldwide.
Through our study, “The ONE Question Retirement Challenge,” we learned that most people can only come up with a rough sketch of what they want to do with their time in retirement, and often default to what Nick calls “the Hangman Answers.” After months of researching this problem and going back to school to become a Certified Professional Retirement Coach (CPRC), Nick created his own solution, and it made a huge difference. By offering a brief, self-paced lifestyle discovery process, clients can gain awareness, perspective, and a pathway to better articulate how they need to live this chapter, aiding the goal-setting process.
What became crystal clear after we shared this process: for each new lifestyle goal clients created, it required a significant change from the initial sketch to the final planning recommendations. Knowing and acting as a fiduciary at all times made going back to the old ways of doing things impossible. This process ultimately improves the client experience and helps us avoid planning errors and investment-strategy changes that hurt clients later.
About our Founder
Nicholas “Nick” LiVecchi, CFP®, CRPC®, CPFA®
Founder and President, The Sovran, LLC
Nick is a retirement planning innovator and author of the self-help book series “Don’t Drink the Retirement Planning Cool Aid.” He is also the host of the podcast series “Greetings from Good Luck Island.”
Witnessing his beloved clients struggle with life transitions and non-financial retirement challenges inspired him to create a groundbreaking pre-retirement process through his goodwill campaign, GoodLuckIslandCollective.com, which features his patented process, 7SHieLD™ (7 Step Holistic Lifestyle Discovery).
“In my experience, it’s the ones that know themselves intently and focus their time on meaningful growth activity that aligns with values, interests, and purpose who have the most success in retirement. Some people just need a safe place to learn and explore so they can find it.”
– Nick LiVecchi
“There’s a different plan for that.”
Known for his wit and compassion, he aims to empower individuals to take an important time out of self-discovery and re-prioritization of goals before calling advisors.
Nick proves that for each newly discovered goal clients find with this process, it’s almost guaranteed that including the change requires a different financial plan to meet it.
Nick is dedicated to disrupting the retirement planning industry and challenging the status quo to evolve toward the services clients actually need to be successful in their retirement, as opposed to just helping with the finances.
Nick is 47 and has been married for 10 years to his wife, Meri LiVecchi. They live in Raleigh, NC, with their young boys, Niko (9) and Luka (7).